William Storage has been at 2 events

*Meeting Time:* 5:30 PM PT on May 14
*Meeting/Starting Location:* http://goo.gl/maps/6u1gq - Yerba Buena Gardens - in the grassy area in front of the waterfalls
*Route Map:* http://goo.gl/maps/oYzA9
*Ending Location:* Union Square on the Geary Street Side
*Hashtag:* #GlassPhotoWalk
*How to Win Google Glass:* This will be a random selection for people at the PhotoWalk. At the Photowalk you will given a ticket with unique number. Hold onto that ticket! Look for @118191303233704861327 to get yours! At the end of the photowalk we will draw a random winner from the tickets that were handed out. To be elegible to win Google Glass you must be 18 years or older (bring ID), a US Resident with proof of residency, and be present to win when we call your number!
Join @104987932455782713675 and @105237212888595777019 for a once-in-a-lifetime free event! If you've never been to a photowalk, this will be a great one. We'll help teach you more about photography and you can join in the fun! Bring a friend or come alone. It's a family-friendly event, and we look forward to seeing you!
*The Plan*: Look, it's possible security may throw us out of our meeting spot right away, and I may not be able to jump up on a bench and give my Mussolini-esque speech. If that happens, here is the plan:
- _Focus on PhotoWalkers:_ - Even though we'll be taking photos of the city as we weave through it on our route, it's OPEN SEASON on other PhotoWalkers! Take all sorts of photos of your fellow walkers, and later, tag away. Get close, get far, get creative!
- _Photo Lessons_ - I'll be stopping a few times throughout the walk to set up for shots. I'll talk through my settings and describe my setup. People are welcome to look through my camera.
- _Need Photo Advice_ - Come up any time throughout the walk and ask me or Thomas anything! We're happy to help. No question is too dumb, and we are happy to help!
- _Sharing_ - Get back home to the sweet internet after the event and upload your photos to the event. Tag people in the photos, and tag the photos with #GlassPhotowalk
We'll have a TON more details soon... this will be a great celebration of photography!
*Watch Live:* Can't make it? @112471890387110967375 will be hosting a @106837773805813749834 session. I'll share it live to my stream too!
*What to Bring:* Any camera will do - from a mobile phone to a big DSLR. It's all good! :)
*Party Mode:* Put your Android or iPhone into Party Mode for the event! This means photos you take will be auto-uploaded to the event! Just see this video at http://goo.gl/VA858 in case you don't know how to do this.

Most reshares: 3

Most plusones: 21

It is estimated that using natural gas for electricity generation as opposed coal burning saves about 30% of CO2 emissions. This outcome of this effect has been assessed to have been more effective means of CO2 emissions reduction than all actions worldwide arising from the Kyoto protocol.

It is estimated that using natural gas for electricity generation as opposed coal burning saves about 30% of CO2 emissions. This outcome of this effect has been assessed to have been more effective means of CO2 emissions reduction than all actions worldwide arising from the Kyoto protocol.

Japan's announcement yesterday at the global climate meeting in Warsaw that it could no longer promise to make a 25 percent cut to its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, but instead would aim for a 3 percent cut, did not go over well. ﻿

Japan Sharply Cuts Carbon Reduction Pledge

Japan's announcement yesterday at the global climate meeting in Warsaw that it could no longer promise to make a 25 percent cut to its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, but instead would aim for a 3 percent cut, did not go over well. ﻿___

The $1.3 million, 18-month project will deploy the Altaeros Buoyant Airborne Turbine (or BAT, pictured) at a height of 1,000 feet above the ground. It’s the first long-term, commercial-scale demonstration of an airborne wind turbine. Some specifics, from Altaeros:

World's highest wind turbine

The helium-filled, inflatable (can-shaped) shell lifts the turbine up to high altitudes where it passively aligns with winds that are stronger and more consistent than those reached by traditional tower-mounted turbines.

The turbine itself is a lightweight, conventional three-blade, horizontal axis system that’s fixed within the shell. ﻿

The $1.3 million, 18-month project will deploy the Altaeros Buoyant Airborne Turbine (or BAT, pictured) at a height of 1,000 feet above the ground. It’s the first long-term, commercial-scale demonstration of an airborne wind turbine. Some specifics, from Altaeros:

World's highest wind turbine

The helium-filled, inflatable (can-shaped) shell lifts the turbine up to high altitudes where it passively aligns with winds that are stronger and more consistent than those reached by traditional tower-mounted turbines.

The turbine itself is a lightweight, conventional three-blade, horizontal axis system that’s fixed within the shell. ﻿___

Emergency pollution measures: China steps up development of thorium nuclear

China's central government has accelerated the development of a novel form of nuclear reactor that runs on thorium fuel rather than on uranium, as part of Premier Li Keqiang's recently declared "war on pollution," according to the South China Morning Post.

Emergency pollution measures: China steps up development of thorium nuclear

China's central government has accelerated the development of a novel form of nuclear reactor that runs on thorium fuel rather than on uranium, as part of Premier Li Keqiang's recently declared "war on pollution," according to the South China Morning Post.

"The drawbacks are that solar thermal plants generate large amounts of waste heat, and they consume a lot of water for cooling, which is usually done by evaporating water. Solar thermal plants can consume twice as much water as fossil fuel power plants, and one recently proposed solar thermal project would have consumed about 500 million gallons of water a year."

"The drawbacks are that solar thermal plants generate large amounts of waste heat, and they consume a lot of water for cooling, which is usually done by evaporating water. Solar thermal plants can consume twice as much water as fossil fuel power plants, and one recently proposed solar thermal project would have consumed about 500 million gallons of water a year."

"When accounting for dynamics in the production process, the results indicate that only for high estimates of the social costs of pollution does the value of emissions offset by wind power exceed cost of renewable energy subsidies."﻿

Measuring the Environmental Benefits of Wind-Generated Electricity

"When accounting for dynamics in the production process, the results indicate that only for high estimates of the social costs of pollution does the value of emissions offset by wind power exceed cost of renewable energy subsidies."﻿___

Shayle Kann, Vice President of Research at GTM, wanted to assess whether solar is becoming mainstream. So Kann devised a checklist to help answer the question, At what point does solar become mainstream in US? And how close are we? His conclusions:

1. Solar must be a primary source of new electric capacity in the U.S.2. Solar must be cost-competitive without reliance on fickle incentives.3. Solar must be taken seriously by the electricity industry.

(No mention of the minor issue of dispatchability.)﻿

"Solar Energy Is Heading to Mainstream in the United States"

Shayle Kann, Vice President of Research at GTM, wanted to assess whether solar is becoming mainstream. So Kann devised a checklist to help answer the question, At what point does solar become mainstream in US? And how close are we? His conclusions:

1. Solar must be a primary source of new electric capacity in the U.S.2. Solar must be cost-competitive without reliance on fickle incentives.3. Solar must be taken seriously by the electricity industry.

This edition of the “Brown Book” contains official information provided by OECD member country governments on nuclear energy, including projections of total and nuclear electricity generating capacities to 2035 and short narrative country reports providing updates of national nuclear energy programmes. Nuclear safety was further strengthened in 2012 following safety reviews prompted by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Nuclear projects also advanced, with the exception of Japan where the role of nuclear power remains uncertain. Total electricity generation and nuclear-generated electricity in the OECD area declined between 2011 and 2012 by 0.1% and 5.2% respectively. The share of electricity production from nuclear power plants also decreased from 19.9% in 2011 to 18.9% in 2012. This decline refle... more »

This edition of the “Brown Book” contains official information provided by OECD member country governments on nuclear energy, including projections of total and nuclear electricity generating capacities to 2035 and short narrative country reports providing updates of national nuclear energy programmes. Nuclear safety was further strengthened in 2012 following safety reviews prompted by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Nuclear projects also advanced, with the exception of Japan where the role of nuclear power remains uncertain. Total electricity generation and nuclear-generated electricity in the OECD area declined between 2011 and 2012 by 0.1% and 5.2% respectively. The share of electricity production from nuclear power plants also decreased from 19.9% in 2011 to 18.9% in 2012. This decline reflects the permanent shutdown of three reactors that had reached the end of their operational lifetime (two in the United Kingdom and one in Canada), operational issues at some facilities and suspended operation at all but two reactors in Japan. Record electricity production at nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic and Hungary, combined with increased production in Canada, France, Spain and Sweden balanced, to some extent, declining production in Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States﻿___

This paper examines the distributional impacts of the wind production tax credit (PTC). The obvious difﬁculty of this examination is the fact that over the past 10 years (the life of the PTC) some eligible wind facilities have elected to take the investment tax credit (ITC) and the Section 1603 grant program instead of the PTC. As we explain below, this does not change the distributional nature of federal wind subsidies, but merely the timing. For the purposes of this paper, we assume that all wind production built over the last 10 years in the United States elected to take the PTC. We call this the proxy PTC to differentiate this metric from the actual PTC. The proxy PTC is a one-year snapshot based on state-level wind generation data for 2012. ﻿

This paper examines the distributional impacts of the wind production tax credit (PTC). The obvious difﬁculty of this examination is the fact that over the past 10 years (the life of the PTC) some eligible wind facilities have elected to take the investment tax credit (ITC) and the Section 1603 grant program instead of the PTC. As we explain below, this does not change the distributional nature of federal wind subsidies, but merely the timing. For the purposes of this paper, we assume that all wind production built over the last 10 years in the United States elected to take the PTC. We call this the proxy PTC to differentiate this metric from the actual PTC. The proxy PTC is a one-year snapshot based on state-level wind generation data for 2012. ﻿___

Various promoters maintain the cost of wind energy is competitive with other sources of energy. As shown below, this is not the case. They often point to power purchase agreements, PPAs, between wind turbine owners and utilities to sell at 5 to 6 c/kWh as proof of market price parity.

However, costs are not the same as prices. Energy costs have to do with the unsubsidized cost of producing energy. Pricing that energy is greatly influenced by the level of subsidies. If that were not the case, wind turbine owners would not be fighting so hard for various subsidies, such as extending the 2.3 c/kWh production tax credit; its pre-tax value is about 3.4 c/kWh, depending on tax rates. This credit is not trivial, as the US average grid price is about 5 c/kWh.﻿

Various promoters maintain the cost of wind energy is competitive with other sources of energy. As shown below, this is not the case. They often point to power purchase agreements, PPAs, between wind turbine owners and utilities to sell at 5 to 6 c/kWh as proof of market price parity.

However, costs are not the same as prices. Energy costs have to do with the unsubsidized cost of producing energy. Pricing that energy is greatly influenced by the level of subsidies. If that were not the case, wind turbine owners would not be fighting so hard for various subsidies, such as extending the 2.3 c/kWh production tax credit; its pre-tax value is about 3.4 c/kWh, depending on tax rates. This credit is not trivial, as the US average grid price is about 5 c/kWh.﻿___

Mankind went a long time without democracy, women’s rights or vanishing point perspective. Then some geniuses came along and broke with tradition – in a rational yet revolutionary way that only seemed self-evident after the fact. They fractured the existing model and shifted the paradigm. They innovated.﻿

Mankind went a long time without democracy, women’s rights or vanishing point perspective. Then some geniuses came along and broke with tradition – in a rational yet revolutionary way that only seemed self-evident after the fact. They fractured the existing model and shifted the paradigm. They innovated.﻿___

Energy journalist Robert Bryce recently broke the news to mainstream American media. In a hard-hitting article published in the Wall Street Journal, he reported the findings of a Colorado energy research study, which earlier this year concluded that the industrial wind technology it sampled in the regions of Colorado and Texas neither reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the production of electricity nor rolled back consumption of fossil fuels.﻿

Energy journalist Robert Bryce recently broke the news to mainstream American media. In a hard-hitting article published in the Wall Street Journal, he reported the findings of a Colorado energy research study, which earlier this year concluded that the industrial wind technology it sampled in the regions of Colorado and Texas neither reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the production of electricity nor rolled back consumption of fossil fuels.﻿___

GENEVA - One reason the nuclear industry is not moving rapidly to superior and safer technologies including thorium fuel is that its entrenched value chain moans out for more of the same old uranium and for large, traditional reactors.

That could be starting to change, as one of the world’s biggest reactor companies, Areva, publicly declared an interest in thorium.﻿

GENEVA - One reason the nuclear industry is not moving rapidly to superior and safer technologies including thorium fuel is that its entrenched value chain moans out for more of the same old uranium and for large, traditional reactors.

That could be starting to change, as one of the world’s biggest reactor companies, Areva, publicly declared an interest in thorium.﻿___